THOUGHTS OF CHAIRMAN MAC

    It has been perplexing for me to understand how intelligent, informed and well-educated people, can continue to support Trump. For me, it is just so obvious that Trump is the diametric antithesis of the type of person who should lead our country. This dichotomy remained unresolved until it came to me that it’s all about one thing: CHANGE . Change is a constant force of nature. At first blush, most of us are naturally suspicious and leery of change, but it is ever present, and it is something we have to recognize, confront and adjust to.       We are wary of change because it requires us to move from the known to the unknown. For many, from all walks of life, the impact of change conjures up a fear of the future, insecurities and uncertainty. This apprehension over change creates in many a desire to go back to what they knew and were comfortable with in the past. But one thing to understand is that once fundamental change is inculcated into society, a...

If you have a true, passionate desire to become an entrepreneurial leader, it may seem contradictory, but the best path to exceptional success is to either reinvigorate a failing company or start a new one in a business sector currently dominated by established companies. At first blush such an approach may seem like business suicide, but this strategy offers the most potential for success and because so few are willing to try it, there is little competition. Here are a few tips on rebuilding or starting a company in a business sector dominated by established companies: 1.   Make sure you understand and have experience in the selected industry. 2.   Understand that success will come easier by actually changing the industry rather than trying to compete in it. 3.   Position your company to compete against rather then with the established companies. Make sure you understand the difference. 4.   Strive to become a disrupter of the industry’s status quo by ...

    Rules are something we have to deal with all our lives. We are forever being admonished that the only way forward is to follow. If we don’t follow the rules, we are reprimanded with the equivalent of personal fire and brimstone. Despite this, there are times (more times than you might imagine) when breaking the rules is the best path to success. This is especially true when it comes to rules that rule your activities and future in the corporate world. Over time, corporate rules have become more about containment and control than accomplishment and achievement. Follow these rules at your own risk. The trick is to know why, when and how to break rules that should be broken.     To Become An Effective Leader – Make Your Own Rules We could pick a passel of questionable rules from virtually any endeavor, but for this discussion let’s assume that you have a desire to become an effective corporate leader. What are some of the established and accepted corporate r...

  Like me, are you disenchanted with and discouraged by the body politic of our country now? Are you weary of the self-serving conniving machinations exhibited by the political leaders of both parties? Are you frustrated that we can’t seem to come together and agree on any idea or action that will impact the future of our country in a positive way? Does it feel like this is something new that is causing our once unified country to come apart at the seams, spawning what seems to be a bleak future? If so, think again. As published in “American History” magazine, here is an excerpt from a letter written by Benjamin Franklin to a friend in France, just after participating in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It seems as though Franklin could be living today when he wrote: “We must not expect that our new government may be formed as a game of chess played by a skillful hand, without fault. The players of our game are so many, their ideas so different, their prejudices so strong and...

  One of the most often espoused strategies in business management is called “best practices.” The hypothesis of “best practices” is if the executives of a company research, understand and then mimic the “best practices” of their most successful competitors, then their own success will be assured and come with less effort. In reality, fealty to the idea of studying and copying the “best practices” of the competition is, for a variety of reasons, often more destructive than constructive. But that does not stop many from pushing the idea as a panacea for management. Some business consulting firms even specialize in the area of “best practices” and offer ready-made templates to standardize business processes. These templates are sold as a map for management to adopt the best practices of other companies and they encompass virtually every process and procedure of the company. The allure of adopting a “best practices” management strategy is obvious, but the efficacy of this approa...

Trust is the most underrated aspect of the relationship between a business leader and subordinates. The presence of trust in a business relationship makes almost any objective possible. The absence of trust corrodes any business affiliation and erodes the power of the leader until nothing is possible. Trust in a business relationship is different than trust in a marriage or the trust we place in a pilot when we board an airline. I would even differentiate the concept of business trust from the idea of ethics. Not that trust can be built without being ethical, but in the context here trust has a different nuance. Creating an Environment of Trust Trust in a business relationship is about many things, but mostly it is about being consistent with those with whom we deal with. The secret to building business trust is to be the same today as you were yesterday and will be tomorrow. Trust is engendered when others can count on what the leader says as being the same as what the leader do...

  Behind every success story – be it individual, career, entrepreneurial or corporate – is a remarkable story of dedication, resilience, yeoman effort and even a bit of luck. Success is never bequeathed by aspiration, but it is almost always achieved as a result of continuous concerted effort.   There is no better feeling than the feeling of success achieved after a long, hard, honest effort. In a way, achieving success, in any form, is your way of making history. However, it’s important to recognize that achieving the desired success is not the end of the road, but only a sign that you are on the right road.   The funny thing about success is that as difficult as it is to achieve, it takes even more focus and commitment to sustain it. Success is not self-sustaining. Success is only preserved by building on it, not resting on it. In fact, success has its own way of weakening the very behavior that created it. The key to preserving and even enhancing success is by bein...